Ryan Montbleau Band losing two key members

Everything about the Ryan Montbleau Band’s rise has felt organic – its albums, its touring ethos, its reputation as a festival favorite – so it’s no surprise that in a period of significant transition, Montbleau is confident things will turn out all right.

By Chad Berndtson

The Patriot Ledger, Quincy, MA

By Chad Berndtson

Posted Dec. 5, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Dec 5, 2013 at 5:13 AM

By Chad Berndtson

Posted Dec. 5, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Dec 5, 2013 at 5:13 AM

» Social News

It’s been a long and interesting journey for Ryan Montbleau, the Peabody-bred singer and guitarist who turned his agreeable blend of roots rock, folk rock and funk rock into a hard-touring, nationally known act with fans from coast to coast.

Everything about the Ryan Montbleau Band’s rise has felt organic – its albums, its touring ethos, its reputation as a festival favorite – so it’s no surprise that in a period of significant transition, Montbleau is confident things will turn out all right.

“It’s bittersweet for sure,” Montbleau said. “It’s sad to see something that’s been so consistent for so long drift apart. But I’m thankful for the way it’s all happening and for the years I’ve gotten to spend with these guys on the road.”

Montbleau is referring to his group’s two homecoming shows at Boston’s Paradise Rock Club this weekend, which will be the last for both RMB guitarist Lyle Brewer and keyboardist Jason Cohen. The future of the RMB beyond these two shows – which will be streamed live online for free at http://rmblive.com – isn’t entirely clear.

“Jay and Lyle each want to be with their kids and their wives. I don’t have any kids or a wife of my own, but by all means, I get it,” Montbleau said. “As Stephen King said, ‘Life isn’t a support system for art. It’s the other way around.’ These changes are happening for positive reasons and I fully support those guys.”

Cohen has been a member of the RMB since its 2003 inception. In a note posted to the band’s website a few months ago, he wrote, “The music we made will always be a great source of joy to me but the time has come for me to be home and focus my energy on my family,” wrote

Brewer’s in the same boat, having sought more time at home with his wife, local country-rock ace Sarah Borges, and their 2-year-old son, Elliott.

“Being on the road and having a family is very difficult,” Brewer told The Ledger. “Some people can manage it better than others but for me and my family it seemed like the right time to come home. It’s been a great run playing with RMB. I love those guys and the music we’ve made over the last three years.”

Says Montbleau: “I can’t overstate (Jason’s) influence on us and on me. He’s a major reason we sound the way that we do and he set the pace for us to catch up to as far as working on our instruments, working on the tunes.

“Lyle joined the band at the beginning of 2011 and was immediately this injection of crazy musical talent and good energy all around. He’s been the biggest part of our sound changing over the last few years and I have to say that in a world full of guitar players, Lyle Brewer is really one special player.

Page 2 of 3 - “You don’t replace guys like that, things just change, and that’s the way I feel about everyone in our band.”

Being a road warrior is a prerequisite for the RMB, which typically plays north of 200 live dates a year. That’s a pace its namesake set a long time ago, playing relentlessly, night after night, in places like the old Cambridge House of Blues and various Boston-area coffee shops, folkie nooks and rock clubs, developing fans one showcase at a time.

Montbleau and his bandmates are products of a vibrant local scene that keeps on preserving itself, and all expect to stay connected.

Lately, for example, Brewer’s been playing Saturday afternoons at Atwood’s Tavern in Cambridge and Sundays at Saloon in Somerville, with a cast of local staples that includes Sonny Barbato, Mike Piehl, Andy Plaisted, Ben Zecker and Cohen. He’s also writing new music and offering private lessons out of his Arlington home.

“I’m trying not to get too busy. For the last six years I’ve been traveling constantly, so having some downtime is great,” Brewer said. “It’s great to have so many talented musicians here in the city. Everyone has their thing, there’s little competition or attitude amongst musicians here, and everyone is really supportive.”

The rest of the RMB members – including Montbleau, drummer James Cohen, bassist/vocalist Matt Giannaros and percussionist/vocalist Yahuba Garcia-Torres – have no future tour plans confirmed, and Montbleau isn’t actively recruiting new bandmates.

“The future is wide open at this point,” Montbleau said. “This has been a much needed breaking point for me and for the other guys, honestly. It’s not something I would have chosen, but now that the dust is settling I’m realizing that after 10 years on the road, we really did all need a break. Matty got engaged, Yahuba got his black belt in taekwondo. James got a job. So we’ll see what the future brings, but I don’t want to force anything. I don’t want to force this identity of ‘We are the Ryan Montbleau Band’ because that doesn’t seem to be where everyone is at right now, myself included.”

Montbleau reflects that he has “a lot to be thankful for” as the band winds down one of its most successful touring years. Among other highlights, the RMB played with Greensky Bluegrass, ALO and the Tedeschi Trucks Band, and also had gigs in Costa Rica, where the band jammed with Allman Brothers bassist Oteil Burbridge, and at the Bonnaroo Music Festival. Montbleau sang the national anthem at Fenway Park.

There’s also the matter of an album the RMB recorded in New Orleans several months ago, Montbleau said, which will finally be released in 2014.

“I think it’s the best record we’ve ever made,” he said.

Page 3 of 3 - As for Montbleau himself, he’ll be on the road less in the new year and more often close to home, which is Lawrence.

“For the first time I can remember, there is no big tour planned,” he says, adding that he’ll have more time to record music and return to some of the performance formats that built his reputation in the first place.

“I’m getting back to playing solo-acoustic shows, which I love, and I plan to do more of that in the future than I have in recent years,” he said. “And I will most definitely play with a band, too, and that will likely include some or all of these guys. But it’s all wide open right now.”

RYAN MONTBLEAU BAND At the Paradise Rock Club, 969 Commonwealth Ave., Boston. 9 p.m.Friday and Saturday, with Peter Prince and the Trama Unit. Doors open at 8 p.m.; shows are 18-plus. Tickets, $26.50 per show, available at the box office and www.ticketmaster.com.